Senate Farm Bill Stalls in Committee Amid SNAP Dispute
August 6, 2026
The Senate Agriculture Committee failed to advance its version of the Farm Bill Thursday after Democrats voted against the Republican-led package, citing disagreements over changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The legislation failed on a 10-11 vote after Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., offered a one-year delay in requiring states to share SNAP benefit costs. Democrats, led by Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., continued to push for a two-year delay and voted unanimously against advancing the bill.
Following the vote, Boozman recessed the committee indefinitely, leaving open the possibility of revisiting the legislation after lawmakers return from the August recess.
"It is disgraceful Democrats refused to advance the bipartisan Farm Bill out of committee," said Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. Fischer said Republicans had worked with Democrats to secure bipartisan support for year-round E15 sales and offered a compromise on SNAP cost-sharing. She argued Democrats voted against priorities including food bank funding, rural and mental health services, safe drinking water initiatives and expanded broadband.
Despite the bill's failure, senators adopted dozens of amendments during the markup before the final committee vote. Those amendments included the Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL) proposal, which was adopted on a bipartisan 17-6 vote.
Several agricultural organizations expressed disappointment that the Senate Agriculture Committee did not advance the Farm Bill while encouraging lawmakers to continue bipartisan negotiations.
The Farm Credit Council thanked Chairman John Boozman and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar for their work on the Agriculture Act of 2026, while urging lawmakers to continue negotiations during the August work period. The organization said completing a five-year Farm Bill remains critical to strengthening crop insurance, expanding credit availability for farmers and ranchers, and modernizing Farm Service Agency loan programs.
The American Soybean Association also expressed disappointment that the legislation was not advanced, saying the delay comes as soybean farmers continue to face rising input costs, low commodity prices and ongoing trade uncertainty. ASA urged lawmakers to use the August recess to continue bipartisan negotiations and return in September prepared to advance a comprehensive five-year Farm Bill.
The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance also expressed disappointment that the legislation failed to advance but thanked Chairman Boozman for convening the markup and including an amendment from Sen. Adam Schiff in the manager's package to protect the integrity of the definition of specialty crops in USDA programs and services.
The alliance also thanked Sen. Ben Ray Luján for introducing an amendment that would make the Specialty Crop Emergency Framework mandatory and Sen. Elissa Slotkin for offering an amendment to strengthen the Federal Crop Insurance Program for specialty crop producers. The group said it looks forward to working with members of the Senate Agriculture Committee to incorporate those proposals into the bill as the legislative process continues.
"Despite today's setback, we remain hopeful the Senate can find a bipartisan path forward to pass the Agriculture Act of 2026," the alliance said.
The committee is expected to revisit the legislation at a later date as negotiations continue over SNAP funding and other remaining issues.
Western Ag Network
